Lallana's Left Peg

No way to Berahino, Bony, Jelavic, and Cisse. All contribute little outside the desire to score goals.

I don't disagree with your sentiment but football is not a game for gentleman. It's a business for many who play the game and whilst they may love the sport it is also a means for them to earn lots of money - and with all the money that exists in the game there are opportunities to earn incredible wealth, and often footballers don't come from wealthy backgrounds either. Ings is conducting himself well but it is easier to do that when you have your future in your own hands. That is the big difference he has against other players setting themselves up for moves.

We don't play that way because we've never had one. Now we're one of the better teams in the division we need one. Someone who can occupy two central defenders with his movement and will finish for us - teams sit back so deep these days that we need someone to fill that role for us. When a team sits back against us I don't want to see our striker dropping deep for the ball. In terms of last man strikers: Berahino, Aguero, Cisse, Bony. To a lesser extend Kane, Jelavic, and Lukaku. All strikers who tend to play within the width of the 18 yard box and who use their movement in the box to create space and they finish. Some better than others, but as a club we need a player who fits that role if we are to maintain this sort of league position.

I think he absolutely would against at least half the teams we face in this division. Works hard, great movement, and can finish. We would be lucky to have him.

Can't see a current Top 4 club being interested in Wanyama given his limitations as a player. He's got some development to go yet.

I think we all know what to do here ladies and gents: http://www.liverpoolfc.com/2015-player-young-player-of-the-year-vote Vote Lovren.

It's not unique to us. Clubs send out feelers to players well before the season ends to line up summer moves. The process of recruiting is very long. It feels like it has happened more to us because we have players that bigger clubs want, that's all. In a way we're a victim of our own success in that respect, but it is far better than the alternative of not having clubs interested in our players. When you learn that Luke Shaw is on a six figure weekly wage at one of the biggest clubs in the world then I can imagine why Clyne's head has been turned. I haven't seen any lack of effort from him for us, though his form has been off (he's not the only one in recent months either, though).

I cam confused - I am sure Newcastle fans convinced us all that with a passionate Geordie in charge they'd be unstoppable. One of their own - what makes their club so special and all that.

It would be a sobering thought to have the season we've had and yet only end up one position in the table better off than last season, even if the points haul was much better. Just goes to show how much of a gap there is to bridge over the course of a season - and we had a go at it without European football. Of course, there are worst realisations as a football fan but you have to wonder - will we ever have it better than this season!?!

Just back from the game. You missed nothing. It was a turgid affair on a horrible pitch. Lots of effort, but a complete lack of quality in the final third from both teams. No disrespect intended, but Blackburn did a good job bringing the game down to their level - very physical, very meat and two veg approach to playing the game. We stood up well to the physicality but poor Jake Hesketh was getting thrown around like a rag doll. Defended well (not that we had anything special to contend with) but in the final third we lacked cohesion and belief. Martin Hunter was doing his nut in several times, especially in the second half. We looked better when Sinclair and Sims came on for Gallagher (who had an absolute nightmare which included TWO air shots) and McQueen. But that may also be because Blackburn started to tire and there was more space on the pitch. On the better pitch we should have more than enough to put them away. Very impressed with Will Wood who was my Saints man of the match. Targett also performed very well. Harrison Reed has developed a bit of a mouth on him and tried to manage the game and Ref and I don't think it suits him.

I think we are for at least 10-12 games a season. Teams come to St Marys and sit back - we've got scope for a player who sits on the central defenders and stays within the width of the 18 yard box and has nice movement in the box. We need to create more but even if we don't that promotes the need for a good poacher / finisher even more really.

Ewood Park. No. But the second leg at St Marys is on Sky.

I'll be there. Blackburn have lost some of their better players to their first team squad (as have we) but it's free to get in so no reason not to fight through the rush hour traffic from Manchester to get up there.

I think we're good enough now to have a proper finisher / poacher in the team for certain games. Whilst we don't have the creative talents that make teams sitting back against us think twice we also don't have a clinical finisher which makes it a very easy decision to teams to sit back against us at the moment. As for Austin I wouldn't mind him but I wonder if we could do better.

After the game he said he slipped I think he mispronounced 'hurled myself towards my opponent feet first five foot in the air'.

Some quality printing there. It looks really good.

Wasn't he linked with us last summer? It would have sent him over the edge!

He needs to stay. He is out of form in front of goal and prone to making silly decisions with his first time layoffs but at ~£6m he's been amazing value and as a striker has an important role with us. What we can't do it rely on him to be our only striker. He needs to be a part of a stable of strikers that are selected based on form and how we want to play / the opposition, especially with potentially a dozen more games next season in Europe. It's a miracle he hasn't been injured and / or collapsed from exhaustion.

Vic is a strange one. There are things he does brilliantly, and there are things he needs a lot of work on. He is still developing and didn't play much football as a kid. But when you look at what he does brilliantly, is it something that a top team is going to want? Are they things that a top team needs considering 80% of their games are against inferior opposition and they need their midfielders to contribute attacking more than defending? A Spurs, a Liverpool, probably. A team currently in the Top 4? I don't think so at the moment.

Yep but the number of games left this season decreases and the relative impact of any gap becomes far bigger.

Whilst you cannot mathematically dismiss our Top 4 chances, we have to catch 3 teams and bridge an 8pt gap over the next 7 games. It's highly unlikely and to be honest Swansea are closer to us in 7th than we are to 4th. That said, and presuming we qualify for the Europa League, what would people's preferred approach to it be? Under the view that there isn't much money in the Europa League so we can't go bloating the squad with loads of nice new shiny players the club has a decision to make. 1. Play the kids / fringe players in the Europa - focus on the league and ensure we finish as high up as possible to support the stated long-term progression 2. Play a mix of kids / fringe players in Europa with first team players and accept that a somewhat half-baked approach to both the Premier League and Europa may not be great but it's the best way to manage the squad in the circumstance 3. Give the Europa a good go and accept our League position will suffer considerably. You can claim the above options are not exhaustive and it would be possible to compete on all fronts - I personally doubt that in the circumstance and what history tells us so for the purposes of this exercise, what would you prefer the club to do?

Thanks for the information.

The fact it is on Sky will harm attendance. First leg is at Ewood Park and not on Sky. I'm heading to that. Pitch doesn't look great though...

That article references an increase for Europa but doesn't give too many details. I'll remain sceptical that the Europa League becomes in any way financially lucrative.